Turnbull slams Labor for 'incompetence' in dealing with energy crisis

Malcolm Turnbull has taken a swipe at Labor for the energy crisis in Australia, saying its policies have squandered the country's natural resource opportunities.

Speaking at a Country Liberal Party conference in Darwin, the prime minister lashed Opposition Leader Bill Shorten over his handling of energy issues.

"I mean Blackout Bill, fair dinkum, as my old dad would have said, 'He is so hopeless he could not find his backside with both hands'," Mr Turnbull said after returning from a Pacific nation conference in Samoa.

He blamed Labor "incompetence" for situations of expensive, unreliable energy, criticising them for closing coal-fired power stations and restricting gas exploration.

"Australia is a massive gas province, with huge offshore resources - many still to be developed... and of course, many onshore resources," Mr Turnbull said.

"But we have Labor governments that will not develop them."

He said his government had ensured retailers were providing competitive prices to Australian households.